Apparatus for mixing and feeding steam and air to fire-boxes.



C. F. MILLER. APPARATUS FOR-MIXING AND FEEDING STEAM AND AIR T0 FIREBOXES. A\P-PLICATION FILED OCT-1311911.

1,1 89,376. Patented July 4, 19-16.

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c. F. MILLER. I APPARATUS FOR MIXING AND FEEDING STEAM AND AIR T0 FIREBOXES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I3, I91].

Patented July 4, 1916.

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CHARLES E. MILLER, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT. OF COLUMBIJAL APPARATUS FORMIXING ANDFEEDING STEAM AND AIR. '10 FIRE-BOXES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. October '12, 1911. Serial No..654,477.

To all whom it may concern: 7 v 7 Be it known that I, CHARLES F.NIHJLER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District ofColumbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatusfor Mixing and Feeding Steam and Air to Fire-Boxes, of which thefollowing is a specification.

' My said invention consists in certain improvements in a combinedblower and steam motor for driving the same, especially adapted for usein mixing and feeding steam and air in a smoke consuming apparatus forlocomotive, or other, fire boxes, such as shown'in applicationNo.-566,67 8, filed June 13, 1910, whereby such an apparatus is'providedof peculiar efficiency for the particular purpose for which it isdesigned, all as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof andon which similar reference characters indicate similar parts, Figure 1is, a diagrammatic view showing the device in use on a locomotiveboiler, Fig. 2 is an edge view of the easing of my improved apparatus,Fig. 3 a side elevation with a portion of the face plate broken out toshow the interior more clearly, Fig. A a section on the dotted line 3-3in Figs. 2 and 5, and Fig. 5 is a section on the dotted line l4c inFigs. 3 and 4:.

In said drawings the portions marked A represent the casing, B therotary piston and C the blower. The casing A is of substantially theform shown, preferably made in two parts, A and A, bolted together forconvenience in construction, but for all practical purposes in use theentire casing is an integral structure. The part A of the casingcontains the motor and the part A the blower, the two parts beingdivided by a central wall or partition a. The part A has a discharge, orexhaust, pipe a leading therefrom and the part A has a similardischarge, or exhause, pipe a Casing A is formed with a series of inlets10 arranged at intervals around its periphery having inlet connections12 on their sides to which branch inlet pipes 13 are coupled. Saidbranches 13 lead from a common pipe 14 connected with the steam supplypipe 26, which leads from the steam dome of the boiler, or other steamsupply. Each of said inlets 10 is formed with a valve-seat in its lowerend and a cone-shaped, or needle,

valve15 is mounted therein, the valve being formed, ormounted, on thelower end of a stem 16 which is screw-threaded and-mountedin a' gland 17mounted in the outer end of said inlet. A hand-wheel 18 is mounted onthe outer end of each valve stem for operating the same.

The rotary piston, or propeller, B- is a hollow cylinder mounted on acentral'shaft 20 journaled in suitable bearings'in casings A, A. It isformed, in its periphery with a series of recesses, or steam pockets,7),. as.

shown most plainly in Fig. 4.

The blower C is mounted in part A of the casing and keyed tothe shaft20. Said casing A is set eccentric to the axis of shaft 20 and theperiphery ofblow'er B- just meets the inner surface of the casing at a,point so a short distance in front of the exhaust openings 0 which leadtherefrom to the discharge pipe a From this point of contact between theperiphery of the blower and the interior-surface of the casing the spacebetween the periphery oftheblower and the interior-of the casing widensforming an air chamber of suitable area extending each way from saidpoint entirely around the casing, the widest portion of which isdirectly opposite said point :0. At diametrically opposite sides of theblower it is formed with radial grooves Z) in each of which is mounted asliding flight B, the same being mounted by means of a central -apertureon a radial rod]; appropriately set in the groove 6. A coiled spring 5is interposed between the inner end of each flight B andthe base of thegroove in which it slides for normally holding said flight outward incontact with the inner surface of the casing. Inlet openings b areformed in the periphery of casing A at a pointnearly opposite theexhaust openings 0.

The whole apparatus is preferably mounted upon a base A and secured tothe outer shell of a boiler or fire box. Located with in the fire boxand projecting through one end thereof is a nozzle 24: to which isconnected the compressed air pipe 25 leading to the rotary aircompressor and a steam supply pipe 26. The steam supply pipe 26 isconnected with the steam dome at its other end and a valve 27 interposedin said pipe 26 between the steam dome and the nozzle serves to controlthe flow'of steam therethrough. The steam pipe 14 is connected to thesteam supply pipe 26 between the valve 27 and the nozzle 24 and isadapted to convey steam to operate the rotor B when the valve 27 isopened.

In operation, it being desired toforce a mixture of steam and air intothe fire box above the fire, as more fully described in the applicationabove referred to, the speed of the blower required to supply thedesired quantity of mixture is attained through the medium of the valves15, one, two or all of them being opened according to the needs of theapparatus, under the conditions that exist for the time being. Theexhaust steam coming through pipe 14, drives the piston B, and exhaustthrough discharge pipe (4. Air is drawn into casing A through theapertures b and is compressed and forced through the discharge openingsand discharge pipe (6 as will be readily understood. Said dischargepipes at and a join with a pipe leading to above the fire in the firebox. Said mixture of steam and air is discharged into the fire box underthe pressure required for the purpose by regulating the steam by meansof the valves 15,

as before described, and thus controlling the speed of the blower.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

In an apparatus for mixing and feeding steam and air to locomotive fireboxes the combination of a nozzle located within the fire box, a steamsupply pipe to said nozzle communicating with the dome of the steamboiler, a cylindrical casing providing a blower and a motor chamberdisposed eccentrically, a shaft journaled in said casing concentric withthe motor chamber, a rotor having radially disposed pockets mounted onthe shaft within said motor chamber, a pipe connected with the firstnamed pipe for delivering steam under tangential flow to the pockets ofthe motor rotor, a disk rotor mounted on the shaft in the blower chamberand engaging at one point with the inner wall of the blower chamber,radially acting blades carried by said disk, means for admitting airinto the blower chamber, a pipe for delivering air from the blower tothe nozzle in the fire box, a pipe for delivering the exhaust steam fromthe motor into said air delivery pipe, and a valve for controlling thesteam supply from the steam pipe, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal at Washington,District of Columbia this 5th day of October, A. D. nineteen hundred andeleven.

CHARLES F. MILLER. [L.S.]

Witnesses:

E. W. BRADFORD, CHAS. E. RIoRDAN.

Copies of. this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by lddreuin:the "Commiuioner of Patents, walhlngton, D. 0."

